Winfield Rescue Crews Searching for Woman Swept Away in DuPage River

The 18-year-old woman was last seen at around 6 p.m. in the Winfield Mounds County Forest Preserve

Rescue crews in west suburban Winfield were searching for an 18-year-old woman who was swept away in the DuPage River Friday night while walking her two dogs, officials said.

The woman, who is 18 years old and has autism, was walking in the Winfield Mounds County Forest Preserve at around 6 p.m. when she was swept away in the river, according to Tony Martinez, director of community relations for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

The individual was walking on a bridge that had been flooded with waist-high water when the swift current swept her away, Martinez said. A man riding a bike witnessed the incident, and tried to give the woman instructions before she was swept away.